Post apocalyptic fiction - just read The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Wow what a devastatingly bleak story - spent ages thinking about how I would cope etc etc I used to love this kind of thing as a young teenager and I was trying to remember the books I read. There was the Changes Trilogy and Z for Zachariah. I was wondering if anyone could remember anymore?

I dont like Stephen king either but will check out The Stand for when I need a trash fix! I must say I was sad after reading The Road and have annoyed my DH no end with my "when the apocalypse comes, we should...."

try this one -The Chrysalids by John Wyndham which is definately post-apocalyptic but not so bleak in a strange way. I should reread it myself. The Beach is good too. Actually we studied it in high school (a long long time ago for me). What is too american by the way? just curious.

I remember Z for Zachariah - that was a good book. I also seem to remember reading a book where after a nuclear war some people had become telepathic due to genetic damage? I think it might have been a short story in an anthology.
The Stand is excellent, I have the unabridge version.

I'll have to read some Atwood, I wanted to read Oryx and Crake when it came out but had forgotten all about it. Christie1 - I'm can't quite explain too American....it is more a flavour or something than actually "American". I guess what NQC said about McCarthy being the new Hemingway and that putting her off....

I'm getting lots of ideas for things to read - was having a dry patch, not really interested in anything. DH is reading the latest Pynchon and loving it - I need something escapist to love!

When you say Hemmingway I get what you mean by too american. While I read alot of hemmingway and did like it, always found it a bit macho and exagerated for me, like telling tales after too many beers.

I echo the recommendations of handmaids tale (amazing and I am not much of an atwood fan) and on the beach. Handmaids tale has a nice feminist element through it as well to make it even more interesting. Strangely, it was made into an opera in canada. Can't quite imagine that, but we also made a musical out of Lord of the Rings ??? I don't think either did well though.